| Click here for more information about beautiful, historic Hardy, Arkansas |
The 2nd Annual Wilburn Brothers Tribute returns to Hardy, Arkansas
Wilburn Brothers fans, mark your calendars for May 24, 2008. Festivities include the
concert with legendary steel guitarist Don Helms and others. Family members and
country music fans will once again head for the small north Arkansas town for the
tribute that began largely because of a missing sign.
“It’s true,” Mayor Nina Thornton remembers. “When Jack Huffmaster became an
alderman, one of the first things he mentioned was that the town used to have a sign
that let everyone know that Hardy was proud to be the home of the Wilburn Brothers.
After we got the sign project started, we began thinking that we should start an annual
musical tribute.”
Not only did the Mayor, Jack and townspeople put up five billboards that boldly state:
“Welcome to Hardy—Home of the Wilburn Brothers,” but the musical tribute
quickly started coming together. Soon it was determined to hold the event on the eve
before Memorial Day each year.
The first get-together was held in downtown Hardy on May 26, 2007. Family members, friends and Wilburn
Brothers fans came from far and wide. Geraldine (Wilburn) Grisham, the last remaining sibling of the family group, Don
Helms and the Malpass Brothers starred. The True Brothers honored Doyle and Teddy remarkably. The Billy Joe
French Band blew everyone away. And five year old family member and fiddler Leslie Wilburn stole the show!
What a fitting tribute to the family who rose from a hardscrabble life during the Great Depression—through sheer
determination, hard work and exceptional talent—to scale the heights of country music stardom on the Louisiana
Hayride, Grand Ole Opry and their own internationally-syndicated Wilburn Brothers Show.
The event starts at Hardy’s Loberg Park at 6 PM. Admission is free. Make your plans now to bring your lawn
chairs and be part of the Second Annual Wilburn Brothers Tribute!
FOR MORE INFO:
Call the Hardy City Hall at 870.856.3811. or click on these Websites
- ...Make your plans now to attend this historic concert honoring
Hardy’s homegrown Grand Ole Opry stars!
Wilburn Brothers fans, mark your calendars for May 24, 2008. Festivities include the
concert with legendary steel guitarist Don Helms and others. Family members and
country music fans will once again head for the small north Arkansas town for the
tribute that began largely because of a missing sign.
“It’s true,” Mayor Nina Thornton remembers. “When Jack Huffmaster became an
alderman, one of the first things he mentioned was that the town used to have a sign
that let everyone know that Hardy was proud to be the home of the Wilburn Brothers.
After we got the sign project started, we began thinking that we should start an annual
musical tribute.”
Not only did the Mayor, Jack and townspeople put up five billboards that boldly state:
“Welcome to Hardy—Home of the Wilburn Brothers,” but the musical tribute
quickly started coming together. Soon it was determined to hold the event on the eve
before Memorial Day each year.
The first get-together was held in downtown Hardy on May 26, 2007. Family members, friends and Wilburn
Brothers fans came from far and wide. Geraldine (Wilburn) Grisham, the last remaining sibling of the family group, Don
Helms and the Malpass Brothers starred. The True Brothers honored Doyle and Teddy remarkably. The Billy Joe
French Band blew everyone away. And five year old family member and fiddler Leslie Wilburn stole the show!
- This year promises to be even better. The downtown Second
Annual Tribute will once again feature Geraldine, as well as the
legendary Don Helms and other popular musicians and family
members. Memorabilia donated by the family will be displayed in
Hardy’s Tourist Information Office as the determined townspeople
plan for the eventual opening of the Wilburn Brothers Museum.
Mayor Thornton shares: “One added feature this year is that waving
over the tribute will be the American flag that previously flew over the
nation’s Capitol on December 24, 2007, the seventieth anniversary
of the first time the Wilburn family stepped out on a nearby street
corner, attracting a crowd with their singing, and started what would
eventually lead them to the biggest stages of the world.”
What a fitting tribute to the family who rose from a hardscrabble life during the Great Depression—through sheer
determination, hard work and exceptional talent—to scale the heights of country music stardom on the Louisiana
Hayride, Grand Ole Opry and their own internationally-syndicated Wilburn Brothers Show.
The event starts at Hardy’s Loberg Park at 6 PM. Admission is free. Make your plans now to bring your lawn
chairs and be part of the Second Annual Wilburn Brothers Tribute!
FOR MORE INFO:
Call the Hardy City Hall at 870.856.3811. or click on these Websites
| A true legend...Don Helms returns to Hardy for the 2nd Annual Tribute to his friends |
| Click here for more information about the upcoming 2nd Annual Wilburn Brothers Tribute in Hardy, Arkansas |
